The Orland Park Public Library's Board of Trustees was honored with the 2014 Intellectual Freedom Award by the Illinois Library Association at its state-wide conference in Springfield on October 14. The award recognizes outstanding contributions in defending intellectual freedom in Illinois libraries.Board Vice President Denis Ryan, trustees Beth Gierach and Diane Jennings, as well as former long-time trustee Mary Ann Ahl accepted the accolade with a standing ovation by more than 650 librarians, trustees, and library employees from throughout the state.

The Board was recognized for its commitment to defending intellectual freedom and the First Amendment by supporting an Internet policy that allows adults unfiltered access to the wealth of information available on the Internet. After a challenge by two non-residents, the Board voted in 2014 to continue unfiltered access for adults, an action which "challenges censorship of the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment" as stated in the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights.

"I'm extremely proud to receive the Intellectual Freedom Award on behalf of the board," stated Ryan. "The majority of trustees made a deliberate choice to stand up for Orland Park citizens' right to access information on library computers for adults who are 18 and over. I feel strongly that if we denied this right to unfiltered Internet access, we would be challenged to censor other first amendment-protected items such as books and movies."

The Board also voted to ensure strong safeguards by continuing to filter children's and teen computers for inappropriate content. In addition, the Internet and patron behavior policy were strengthened to further define and prohibit illegal and inappropriate behavior, as well as the role of staff in effectively dealing with these situations immediately.